13 Multimedia Technologies

Multimedia 13 Technologies

13.1 Audio and Video Technologies 13.2 Multimedia Applications

Explain how radio and TV signals are transmitted. • Describe how discs are recorded. Discuss the use of computers for animation. Explain how fi lm, video, and video games are produced. Discuss features of the World Wide Web.

Explore the Photo Movie Magic The crew for a fi lm includes camera operators as well as makeup art- ists, directors, and many others. Once fi lm or video has been shot, a post-production team will edit it and add music. What else might be added during post-production?

264 Unit 3 Communication Technologies Create a Multimedia Web Page At the end of this chapter, you will be asked to gather a variety of media and use software to develop a multimedia Web page. Get a head start by using this checklist to prepare for the Technology Lab. PROJECT CHECKLIST ✓ Visit technology Web sites and study their designs. ✓ Think of some ideas for your own Web page. ✓ Make a list of the multimedia tools and applications you will use.

265

Getty Images Royalty Free 13.1 Audio and Video Technologies

Preview What Graphic Organizer is the diff erence between audio and video Draw the section diagram. Use it to organize technologies? and write down information as you read. Content Vocabulary multimedia Requirements for Audio and Video Recording Systems video 1. ______audio 2. ______pixel 3. ______animation digital compression Go to glencoe.com to this book’s OLC for a Academic Vocabulary downloadable graphic organizer and more. You will see these words in your reading and on your tests. Find their meanings at the back of this book. formula enable

TECHNOLOGY STANDARDS STL National Standards for Technological STL 3 Relationships & Connections Literacy NCTM STL 4 Cultural, Social, Economic & Political Eff ects National Council of Teachers of Mathematics STL 17 Information & Communication Technologies NCTE National Council of Teachers of ACADEMIC STANDARDS English Science NSES National Science Education Standards NSES Content Standard E Understandings about science NCSS National Council for the Social Studies and technology English Language Arts NCTE 1 Read texts to acquire new information.

Multimedia Technologies What kinds of multimedia do you use in your daily life? Multimedia combines different media for text, sound, and images into one presentation to create a more enriched and entertaining message. Multimedia technologies include the Predict How are machines and systems used to create and transmit these messages. sounds and images You experience multimedia when you go to the movies, watch recorded to DVDs? television, play video games, or explore Web sites on the Internet.

266 Unit 3 Communication Technologies Radio How does a remote control transmit a signal to your TV?

Issei Kato/Reuters/Corbis All wireless over-the-airwaves communication is based on radio transmission technology. Cell phones and TV remote controls are examples of devices that communicate by wireless radio. The radio transmitter at a radio station or the one built into a wireless telephone converts sound into electrical signals. These signals are then carried by a radio carrier wave through the atmosphere to a receiving device. The radio on the receiving end converts the transmission back into its original form. You can compare the joining of these two signals to a trip on a bus. The sound signals are like the passengers, and the radio carrier wave is like the bus. The bus carries passengers to their destination; the carrier wave carries the radio signal to your cell phone or wireless gaming device.

Television How does a television work? In your television, the video transmission and audio transmis- sion are separate. The video signal contains the moving electronic images, and the audio signal contains the synchronized sound. No Strings Attached If your TV uses an antenna, audio and video signals reach it Wireless and motion- via radio carrier waves. If you have cable, your cable provider sensitive game control- sends signals to your home through wire or fi ber optic cables. lers have changed the way TV images consist of tiny dots of light called pixels. The full players experience video motion images you see are a series of quick-changing still games. The wireless com- ponents in these game con- images. These images are replaced 30 times each second, which trollers are based on radio is so fast your eyes are fooled into seeing a moving image. technology. What are some other wireless devices? High-Defi nition Television In digital HDTV (high-defi nition televi- sion), the studio camera’s image is con- verted into a compressed digital signal. This signal is then transmitted to your TV receiver. The computer in your HDTV converts this signal into moving images. The United States switched entirely to digital broadcasting in 2009. All new TVs manufactured after March 1, 2007 have digital tuners.

Summarize How are radio signals transmitted?

Chapter 13 Multimedia Technologies 267 Audio and Video Recording How are audio and video recorded? All audio and video recording systems need to convert sound or images into a recordable signal. These signals must be stored on some type of material. The recording system must also have a way of converting the stored information back into sound and/or images in a playback unit. Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) first convert sound and images into a digital electrical signal. This signal is then compressed (squeezed) so it will take up less space. The “write” head on the DVR’s hard drive then converts this compressed signal into a magnetic pattern that it can record. Before digital technology, engineers recorded sounds and images onto magnetized tapes. CD and DVD recorders use lasers instead of magnetism to record the same compressed digital file. During playback, the hard drive’s magnetic head, or the CD or DVD’s laser, “reads” the signal and sends it to the speakers and video screen.

Explain How is audio recorded to CD and DVD?

Animation How are individual drawings used to create animation? Animation creates the illusion of movement of images. Each separate image or drawing is slightly changed to show movement. See Figure 13.1. The images move at 24 frames per second when played. This is too fast for your eyes to see one image at a time.

Defi ne What is animation?

Facing the Music English Language Arts/Writing When retailers fi rst started selling music online, Fighting Fire with Fire? Piracy has seriously they protected it with DRM software. DRMs are hurt the music industry. However, many like locks—they prevent people from illegally people do not like the idea of using personal copying music fi les. data to combat piracy. They are concerned Changing Their Tune Now, retailers like iTunes that hackers and thieves could access and are selling music without DRMs. Instead, when abuse this information. you purchase music, they record some of your 1. Do some research on anti-piracy in the personal data in the fi le. If you distribute one of music industry. these fi les illegally, the fi le can be traced back 2. Hold a panel discussion to debate the pros to you. and cons of this issue.

268 Unit 3 Communication Technologies 13.1 Animation

Illusion of Movement For animation, still drawings pass rapidly in front of your eyes and give the sensation of motion. What happens if the drawings are shown at less than 24 frames per second?

Computer-Drawn Animation For computer-drawn animation, the beginning and ending images in a sequence are drawn first. The artist then saves the images to the animation program’s memory. The computer fills in the images in between the beginning and the ending images. Feature-length animated films contain hundreds of thousands of separate digital images. Without the aid of computers, these films would take years to draw. 3D Animation Animation that appears three-dimensional (3D) is created by using complex mathematical formulas. The process starts with a simple drawing that combines various shapes, lines, and arcs to create solid surfaces. This drawing is then rendered, which gives it depth and produces reflections. 3D animation makes video and Movie Talk Movies computer games more realistic. and TV shows seem more believable when Video and Computer Games the actors sound like In video and computer games, the graphics on the screen are real people. Their always changing. Game software has many animation sequences speech must be natural, and sounds stored in its memory. Each move you make with the not artifi cial. controller tells the computer which sequence to run. As you play, Apply Write a conver- you create a story. sation between two The first video and computer games had simple controls and people who are trying to decide which of 2D graphics. Today’s games have 3D graphics, movie-like music two TV shows is more and animation, and wireless, motion-sensitive controllers. The interesting. Make their computers and consoles that games are designed for are always conversation realistic. being made faster and more powerful.

Chapter 13 Multimedia Technologies 269 Presentations Dennis Hallinan/Alamy Presentation software, such as Power Point® and HyperStudio®, helps create better presentations. Facts presented with graphics and sound are easier to remember. The programs enable you to add and organize text, graphics, sound, and other media.

Digital Compression What is digital compression? The images in an animated film or 3D video game contain too much data to store conveniently. Digital compression reduces the size of a digital Keeping It Real file by removing bits of information that a computer can recreate Rendering and anima- when processed. tion are used to make people and objects Digital compression is also used for ordinary audio and video appear more realistic. files. The most common digital compression for video is called Why do designers ren- MPEG. The computer keeps the part of the video picture that der and animate new remains the same and compresses only new data. designs early in the design Audio compression drops out sound values that are beyond process? human hearing or that are drowned out by other sounds. The audio compression for music is commonly known as MP3. File compression reduces a digital file to 1/200 the original size. 13.1

Self-Check Mathematics 1. Identify the form of transmission used for radio 6. Marcus has $200 and wants to use it to subscribe signals. to satellite radio. The radio costs $69.95, and the 2. Explain the principle of animation. monthly subscription costs $12.95. Use estimation 3. Compare HDTV to ordinary TV. and mental math to fi gure out how many months he Think can subscribe before his money runs out. 4. Some people think that computers have reduced the Mental Math Rounding numbers makes need for skilled artists in making animated fi lms. them easier to work with mentally. Explain why you think this is or is not true. 1. Round the two types of costs to the nearest dollar. Practice Academic Skills 2. Subtract the cost of the radio from Marcus’s total, and divide the result by the monthly cost. Social Studies For help, go to glencoe.com to this book’s OLC 5. Many viewers say that HDTV is so clear that they can and fi nd the Math Handbook. see the individual blades of grass on a fi eld. Research and write a one-paragraph report on the eff ect you think the switch from TV to HDTV has on people, the environment, the economy, and your favorite shows. Examine both positive and negative impacts.

270 Unit 3 Communication Technologies 13.2 Multimedia Applications

Connect In what Graphic Organizer ways can technology be used to make videos Draw the section diagram. Use it to organize and Web pages? and write down information as you read. Content Vocabulary Producing a Video producer HTML script URL Pre-Production Production Post-Production director browser editing search engine motion capture Academic Vocabulary Go to glencoe.com to this book’s OLC for a indicate link downloadable graphic organizer and more.

TECHNOLOGY STANDARDS STL National Standards for Technological STL 8 Attributes of Design Literacy NCTM STL 9 Engineering Design National Council of Teachers of Mathematics STL 11 Design Process NCTE National Council of Teachers of ACADEMIC STANDARDS English Science NSES National Science Education Standards NSES Content Standard F Science and technology in NCSS National Council for the Social Studies society English Language Arts NCTE 5 Use diff erent writing process elements to communicate eff ectively.

Film, TV, and Video Production What career skills must people have to be hired by a producer? Feature films and TV programs cost a lot of money to create. These productions are run by a producer, who has financial and supervisory responsibility over every aspect of the project. This includes hiring the accountants, writers, the director, camera operators, performers, and the editor. In a small production, one person may do several jobs. Producers and accountants use spreadsheets and other data- Predict Why are scripts bases to track shooting schedules, props, costumes, and all finan- important to fi lm and cial aspects of a production. television production?

Chapter 13 Multimedia Technologies 271 Pre-Production Warner Bros./Getty Images Every production, from a major motion picture to your class- room video assignment, can be divided into three phases: pre- production, production, and post-production. Pre-production includes all the jobs done before the cameras start rolling. Scripts If you think about the many movies you have seen, you will probably recognize that big-name actors and special effects can- not save a boring story. The script is the written version of the production. It lists the different characters and their dialogue. It also describes each set and indicates the action that takes place during each scene. Some scripts are done in storyboard form. A storyboard con- tains sketches of what the scenes will look like from the camera’s point of view. The sketches show the camera operators how to shoot each scene. Other Pre-Production Tasks Green Screen The director controls and guides the camera work and helps the These actors are per- actors achieve their best performances. During pre-production, forming in front of a the director is in charge of rehearsals, which give the performers a green screen. The audi- chance to practice and learn their lines. ence will only see the Many other tasks are also accomplished during pre-production. fi nal composite that will Set designers may create stage sets and backgrounds. Costume show them performing designers may make, rent, or purchase costumes and props. Cam- in a diff erent location. What type of shooting eras, lights, and microphones have to be set up. When everything situations require a is ready, production can begin. green screen? Production Not all the scenes in a video or movie are shot in the same order in which you see them. Some scenes are shot in a studio. Other scenes are shot on location, off the studio lot. Scenes that require the same set- ting are all done together. Green Screens Directors can also shoot actors in front of a green screen. Later the editor can composite this footage, which means combining it with backgrounds or special effects to look real.

272 Unit 3 Communication Technologies The Control Room During live TV broad- casts, the director sits in a control room along with Getty Images Entertainment audio and video engineers. The director decides which camera feeds to send out to the public. The director can see what each camera sees by watching the different camera monitors. Post-Production When shooting is fin- ished, post-production Compositing Post- begins. This is the final production editors com- phase. The most important post-production task is editing. posit footage shot in front Editing is the cutting and arranging of the taped material to of a green screen with decide its final order and content. Careful editing can make the computer-generated difference between a successful production and a confusing one. landscapes and other The editor copies scenes in the proper order onto a master file. special eff ects. By doing this, fi lmmakers can make He or she might add special graphics, music, and other elements scenes that are literally out at the same time, including the title and credits. When the editor of this world. What other is finished and the director is satisfied, the project is complete. elements are added during post-production? Producing a Video Have you ever created your own video? All you need is a video camera and a computer. The right hardware and software can turn a computer into a desktop video studio, allowing you to do all of your editing directly on it. When the project is complete, you can burn it to DVD or upload it to your favorite Web site.

Explain How are TV programs, fi lms, videos, and commercials produced?

Game Design How do live actors help to produce video games? Like TV or film production, computer and video game design usually requires many people. Game developers work with programmers, character and background artists, musicians, sound designers, and other technical experts. A producer manages all of these people. If the game has a com- plicated storyline or scripted scenes, the producer might need to hire a writer. If the game will be sold in another country, transla- tors will be essential.

Chapter 13 Multimedia Technologies 273 Motion Capture Paolo Patrizi/Alamy Game developers also use actors to provide characters with voices and for motion capture. Motion capture is the process whereby an actor performs physical actions that are recorded by sensors attached to his or her body. These sensors are connected to a com- puter, which uses the information to make animated characters move more realistically. This technology is also used Motion Capture The to create computer-generated characters sensors attached to this for feature films. actor’s body record his (or her) movements and Compare What do game design and fi lm and send the information to TV production have in common? a computer. Designers or special eff ects artists use this information to create computer-generated Web Design characters. What else can What is the Internet? actors contribute to video games? The Internet is a research tool, meeting hall, shopping mall, and video game arcade all rolled into one. When you explore the Inter- net by clicking on a link or typing in an address, you move from computer to computer until you reach the site you want to find. You will find many examples of multimedia technology on the Internet. Audio, video, text, graphics, photography, and anima- tion all come together in an interactive format. (Interactive means that you can participate in the activity on a site.) Some people are concerned that this format can be addictive. The World Wide Web The World Wide Web is only one part of the Internet. It is a huge set of files linked in such a way as to make information easy to locate. That is why so many people and organizations use it. Coding The code language used for the Web is called HTML, which stands for HyperText Markup Language. HTML uses markers called “tags” to turn text, images, and video into a Web page. Each site on the Web may have many “pages” and links to take you to other locations on the Web. Each Web page has its own address, called a URL (Uniform Resource Locator). Browsers and Search Engines Internet service providers (ISP) give you access to the Internet. Web browsers, such as Mozilla® Firefox® or Internet Explorer®, are software that allow you to view HTML documents.

274 Unit 3 Communication Technologies Search engines such as GoogleTM help you search the Web. Web sites such as YouTube let you share videos. Social networking sites like Facebook provide a place for friends to communicate. Web for the People Web Designers The Green Wi-Fi Project Philippe Wojazer/Reuters/Corbis The Web sites of large companies or organizations are usually is installing solar- created by professional Web-page designers. These designers are powered networks skilled in combining different media to produce an exciting result. around the world in an eff ort to give children They may even write special software for pages with complex in developing countries features. However, you do not have to be a professional designer access to the Internet. to create your own Web page. The fi rst prototype was made in 2006 in San Building Your Own Web Page Francisco. You can design a page to share information with relatives, Try This Make a list of friends, or even strangers who share your interests. You can use items in your house- text, audio, animation, links to other sites, e-mail links, and even hold or school that video clips to create a page other people will enjoy. could be solar powered. Make a public service Web-Site Building Programs advertisement poster Software programs allow you to automatically convert your with illustrations of work into HTML. Most programs have preview buttons so you these items. Post it in can see what your page will look like once it is converted. your classroom. Adobe® Dreamweaver®, Microsoft’s Expression® Web, and Netscape Composer® are just a few of the many Web-site building programs that you might use.

Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, Jawed Karim Co-Founders of YouTube In 2005, Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim introduced a video sharing Web site called YouTube. Using Adobe Flash technology, they created an Internet phenomenon. According to one survey, over 100 million video clips are viewed every day on YouTube. Chen and Karim studied computer science at the University of Illinois. Hurley stud- ied design at Indiana University. The three men worked out of a garage in northern California. Easy Money In November of 2006, Hurley, Chen, and Karim closed a deal with Google to sell YouTube for $1.65 billion, making them each multimillionaires. The sale came barely a year after the site was launched. English Language Arts/Writing Have you ever posted or watched a video on YouTube? Write a few paragraphs explaining your experience with the Web site. Go to glencoe.com to this book’s OLC to learn about young innovators in technology.

Chapter 13 Multimedia Technologies 275 Publishing Your Web Page You can practice creating a Web site on a computer that is not connected to the Internet. However, to actually publish your page on the World Wide Web, you need an Internet connection. Non-Stop Internet Your Web-site building program can determine how you upload Researchers predict your page. After you upload your page, it will receive a URL. that by 2020, the Enter this URL into a browser on any computer that has Internet Internet will be so access, and your page will appear. Many schools now provide common, we will not space for students to upload their own Web pages. Most Internet notice it anymore. You providers have Web-page space set aside for their customers. will even be able to turn on your dishwasher and other appliances over Describe What are some features of the World the Internet. Buildings Wide Web? and vehicles will be online. Enormous Copyright Law amounts of information The elements that you use for your Web site can be of your will be available. Will there be a downside? own design or copied from sites that make them freely available. Can you think of some However, be cautious before you copy material that was designed impacts? by someone else. Copyright laws protect the material on the Web, Go to Glencoe.com and you may need permission to use it. You must assume that to this book’s OLC for anything you fi nd there is copyrighted. Many sites do make their answers and to learn graphics, templates, and animations available for anyone’s use. more about the future But it is important that you respect copyright laws. of the Internet.

13.2

Self-Check Social Studies 1. Name the source of dialogue in written form for a 6. Thanks to the World Wide Web, you can shop, bank, video production. and work without ever leaving your home. Some 2. Identify what HTML stands for and explain its use. people feel this shift in communication has made the 3. Explain why a Web site needs a URL. world increasingly impersonal. Write a few para- Think graphs telling whether you think that communication 4. Discuss why it would be important to know and technology makes people more or less isolated from understand the intended audience for a multimedia each other. presentation. Practice Academic Skills English Language Arts/Writing 5. Develop a script for a one-minute radio commercial that uses two performers, music, and at least two sound eff ects. Indicate on the script where the music and sound eff ects will be inserted.

276 Unit 3 Communication Technologies John Vechey VIDEO-GAME DESIGNER

Q: What is a typical day like for you on this job? A: Checking e-mails, prepping for meetings, playing our games to give feedback, and contemplating how to integrate our game with our Web site! Q: How did you train for your job? A: In 1997, Brian Fiete (one of the other English Language Arts/Writing co-founders of PopCap) and I created a game Making Predictions Today you can while we were in college. We sold that game to play video games on a cell phone or what is now Pogo.com, and then we went to handheld gaming device. You can work for Sierra Online. We worked there in even play games online with various non-game development capacities before players from all over the world. we quit to start PopCap Games. 1. Use the library or Internet to do research on early video game Q: What do you like most about your job? systems. How were they diff erent A: The fact that I get to work on great games like from today’s video games? Bejeweled and Book Worm, and that the goal of 2. Think of ways that video games have changed in your own the company is to only make the best! Further- lifetime. Have video game more, the casual-games side of the video-game controllers changed? industry is still emerging, so that most of the 3. Write a few paragraphs explain- fi rms in this fi eld are small and relatively ing how video games may change informal. It’s still a “garage,” or cottage, industry in 20 years. Use the correct tense in many ways. when talking about the future. Q: How did you get interested in producing video games? A: Playing lots of games! That’s the only way to Go to glencoe.com to this book’s OLC to learn more about this get interested in game development. If you’re in it career. for money, you’re in the wrong industry.

Creativity, problem-solving, English language arts, Growth faster than average organization computer science, for the next ten years mathematics Source: Occupational Outlook Handbook

Chapter 13 Multimedia Technologies 277 Digital Vision/Getty Images 13 Review and Assessment

Section 13.1 Multimedia technologies use Section 13.2 Pre-production, production, more than one medium in order to commu- and post-production are all part of making nicate. Audio devices include radios, CDs, and feature fi lms, TV programs, videos, and video MP3 players. Video devices include TVs, VCRs, games. The most important post-production and DVD players. TV images consist of tiny dots task is editing, the cutting and arranging of of light called pixels. Animation creates the material. The World Wide Web is one part of the illusion of movement with a series of slightly Internet. The code language used for the Web is diff erent drawings or models. called HTML. Each page has its own URL, or Web address.

1. On a sheet of paper, use each of these terms and words in a written sentence. Content Vocabulary Academic Vocabulary multimedia director formula video editing enable audio motion capture indicate pixel HTML link animation URL digital compression browser producer search engine script

2. Explain how radio and TV signals are transmitted. 3. Describe how discs are recorded. 4. Discuss the use of computers for animation. 5. Describe how sound and images are reproduced on CDs or DVDs. 6. Explain how animation is used in video games. 7. Describe digital compression. 8. Explain how videos are produced. 9. Discuss features of the World Wide Web. 10. Explain the difference between pre-production, production, and post-production.

278 Unit 3 Communication Technologies Getty Images Royalty Free 11. Asking Permission Before a company Social Studies can use a photograph of someone, it 13. Research ways that multimedia technol- must have the person’s permission. With ogies have changed. Pick one technol- technology that allows people to take ogy and write a few paragraphs about pictures or videos in public, receiving how the technology was introduced, permission for those images is impor- how it changed, and its future. tant. Create a document to be signed by someone who will give permission. Mathematics 14. Susan is producing an animated fi lm Technology Skill for art school. She is drawing the indi- 12. Film Production Producing a fi lm vidual frames by hand. She set the rate is a complex process with many steps. of the frames moving past your eyes a. Write a script involving a conversa- at 25 frames per second. How many tion between two people. Include frames will she need to draw if her such information as where people fi lm is 5½ minutes long? should stand and how they Time Convert units of time by should move. using multiplication or division. If you b. Using a video camera, make a short need to convert from a large unit to a fi lm based on your script. Write a smaller unit, such as from hours to min- paragraph describing how well the utes, you multiply. fi lm followed your script.

Directions Choose the letter of the best Electronic Game Designer answer. Write the letter on a separate Situation Your design team must develop an piece of paper. E-rated electronic game. Your game must be 1. exciting, intellectually challenging, and have What is the volume of a TV set that educational and social value. is 36 inches wide, 18 inches high, and 13 inches deep? Activity Working as a team, brainstorm ideas for your game. Then determine the A 8,420 cubic inches responsibilities of each team member. You B 6,272 cubic inches are encouraged to use one of the free gaming C 8,424 cubic inches engines available on the Internet. D 648 cubic inches Evaluation The game will be evaluated by 2. the following criteria: Digital compression removes bits of • Creativity and artisanship data that can be recreated later. • Technical skill T F • Social value • Flow, story, and overall appearance Test-Taking Tip Before you turn in your test, review your answers. Make changes you feel Go to glencoe.com to this book’s OLC for are important, but do not change an answer information about TSA events. unless you have a good reason.

Chapter 13 Multimedia Technologies 279 13 Create a Multimedia Web Page

Web sites have many purposes. Commercial sites want to sell you their products. Government sites provide information about government policies and services. Consider who you want to view your Web site when you design a Web page. Tools and Materials ✓ Computer ✓ Web-page design Set Your Goal software For this activity, you and the members of your team will create a Web Optional page using at least three diff erent media. Your page will inform viewers ✓ Drawing materials about some aspect of technology. or software ✓ Camcorder and Know the Criteria and Constraints editing equipment In this lab, you will: ✓ Photography 1. Use at least three of the following media to create your Web page: equipment Printed text ✓ Music and sound Photographs, drawings, or graphics recording Animation equipment or Speech, music, or sound eff ects digital audio fi les Video ✓ Props and/or costumes 2. Be aware that the purpose of your page will be to inform. 3. Choose your own topics and approach, but remember that the theme of your page will be “Exploring Technology”. 4. Include links to other sites on your page, including sites developed by other teams in your class. Reminder Be sure to follow your teacher’s directions and general shop safety rules during this and all other lab activities. Follow your teacher’s instructions on proper computer startup, software use, and computer shut down. If computer problems occur, ask your teacher for help before attempting to solve the problem on your own.

280

AFP/Getty Images Design Your Project Follow these steps to complete this lab. 1. Brainstorm with your team to select topics for your Web page and to decide on the approach you will take. A page entitled “Exploring Technology: Cars for the 21st Century” could include photos of new car designs with links to manufacturers’ sites. You could inform readers what makes the cars special. 2. Research several topics before selecting those you will use. Consider what resources will be available to you. 3. Decide who your audience will be and which media will present your topics best. 4. Divide the work so that everyone on the team is responsible for some part of the project. Tasks will include designing the appearance of the page, fi nding links to use, creating audio or video sequences, taking photographs, or preparing artwork. 5. Follow the instructions from your Web-page design software to create your page. 6. Before you go live and connect your page to the Internet, obtain your teacher’s approval. 7. Then show your page to your classmates. Evaluate Your Results After you complete the lab, answer these questions on a separate piece of paper. 1. What was the easiest part of creating the Web page? What was the most diffi cult? Why? 2. If you could add something more to your page, what would it be and why? 3. What other technology subjects would make interesting Web pages?

Academic Skills Required to Complete Lab Tasks English Math Science Social Language Arts Studies Brainstorm approach with team ✓✓✓ and research diff erent topics. Complete assigned tasks. ✓✓ Use software to design ✓✓✓ Web page. Put your Web page on the ✓✓ Internet. Show Web page to class. ✓✓

Chapter 13 Multimedia Technologies 281 Communication through Computers

Play the Game This time machine will travel to the past to show you events and inventions that made computer technology possible today. To operate the time machine, you must know the secret code word. To Clue 1 discover the code, read the clues, and then answer the questions. 3000 B.C.E. One of the fi rst mechanical computers was the abacus. It was created in Babylonia, a country that existed in the Middle Clue 2 East about 5,000 years ago. People used it to calculate 1642 The French mathematician numbers by moving beads Blaise Pascal built a wooden adding from side to side. machine for his father, a tax collector. Pascal’s machine added and sub- tracted numbers through the move- ment of wheels.

Clue 3

1830s The English mathematician Charles Babbage designed a machine Clue 4 that could perform complicated cal- 1944 The Mark I was the fi rst com- culations. The machine operated by puter powered by electricity. Pro- following instruc- fessor Howard Aiken designed this tions on punched large machine with many switches cards. Babbage’s that opened and closed. This action “analytical engine” formed a code that directed how the was never built, machine operated. but computer designers of the 20th century adapted some of his ideas.

282 Unit 3 Communication Technologies Image Source Clue 5

1946 The ENIAC was a computer that used vac- uum tubes instead of mechanical switches. The ENIAC could perform 5,000 mathematical opera- Clue 6 tions per second. Your school computer might per- 1947 The transistor was form more than 100 million operations per second. invented at the AT&T Bell Labs. It was smaller, used less power, worked faster, and lasted longer than vacuum tubes. The fi rst computer with transistors was built in 1956. By 1960, all com- puters were using transistors.

Clue 7

1960s Engineers put dozens of transistors onto a single chip called an “integrated circuit,” which was used in Clue 8 calculators. Future integrated circuits may contain 10 billion 1979 A spreadsheet program transistors. The Intel Development Cor- called “VisiCalc” and a word pro- poration produced the fi rst program- cessing program called “WordStar” mable computer chip, which made the went on sale to the public. These personal computer (PC) possible. programs proved personal com- puters could do more than play games. Software guaranteed the PC revolution.

On a piece of paper, write the answers to these questions: 1. What product guaranteed the PC revolution? 2. Who built a wooden adding machine in 1642? 3. What was one of the fi rst mechanical computers? 4. In what products were integrated circuits with transistors fi rst used? 5. What computer used vacuum tubes instead of mechanical switches? Now write down the fi rst letter of each answer. Put them together to discover the secret code word!

Computers operate communication satellites located here.

Unit 3 Technology Time Machine 283 Shopping Online or In-Store Past In Unit 3, you learned how communication technologies have changed our lives in many ways. One way is how we shop. In the early 20th century, small businesses in neighborhoods provided goods and services to the people living in those neighborhoods. You might walk to a nearby shop to buy groceries or dry goods, or to have your shoes repaired. After automobiles were invented, people began to drive to stores that were further away from home—and the shopping center developed. As people’s incomes grew, shop- ping became recreational, and the shopping mall became a gathering place. Present Today, with the Internet, people can stay home and use comput- ers to purchase just about anything online, including groceries, clothing, books, music, and gifts. Because of communication technology, businesses have changed the ways in which they promote their goods and services. This Project In this project, you will plan a retail Web site for a store.

Your Project Tools and Materials Choose the store you represent. ✓ Computer Choose and complete one task: ✓ Internet access 1. Design an e-commerce Web site that allows ✓ Newspapers consumers to order and pay for goods on ✓ Consumer magazines the site. ✓ Word processing software 2. Design an informational Web site without ✓ Presentation software e-commerce features. ✓ Posterboard Write a report. ✓ Colored markers Create a presentation with posters or presen- tation software. Present your fi ndings to the class.

The Academic Skills You’ll Use Communicate eff ectively. Speak clearly and concisely. Use correct spelling and grammar when taking notes or writing presentations. Think about how businesses get their products to their customers. English Language Arts NCTE 4 Use written language to communicate eff ectively.

NCTE 12 Use language to accomplish individual purposes. Social Studies NCSS 7 Production, distribution, and consumption

284 Unit 3 Communication Technologies Big Cheese Photo/Jupiter Images Step 1 Choose Your Topic Step 4 Create Your Project You can choose any store as the topic for your Your project should include: Web-site project. Examples might include: • 1 Web-site design plan • Department stores • 1 Web-site site map • Bicycle shops • 1 report • Gift shops • 1 presentation • Athletic shoe stores Choose a store you would visit! Project Checklist Objectives for Your Project Step 2 Do Your Research Visual ✓ Make a poster or slide presentation to Research how to design the Web site and how illustrate your Web site. your customers will use it. Think about the type ✓ of products the store off ers and your customers’ Show how customers will use the Web site. needs. Write answers to these questions: Presentation ✓ Make a presentation to your class and • What features are on most retail Web sites? discuss what you have learned. • What products are likely purchased online? • What are the advantages and disadvantages ✓ Turn in notes from your interview and of purchasing online? research to your teacher. • What would your customers buy online? • What would you like the most about online Step 5 Evaluate Your Presentation shopping? The least? Find a Web site for a store like yours! In your report and presentation, did you remember to: Step 3 Explore Your Community • Demonstrate your research and preparation? • Be realistic? Choose a local store that has a Web site. Ask the • Show thorough evidence? store’s manager to share reasons for creating the • Create quality content? Web site. Ask: What makes a good Web site? What • Speak clearly? are some mistakes made when designing an e- Rubrics Go to glencoe.com to the book’s commerce Web site? Has it helped the business? OLC for a printable evaluation form and your Remember to listen attentively! academic assessment form.

Computer Circuit Boards Mandarin Chinese Through online stores, you can buy just about anything from any- hello ni hao where in the world. E-commerce depends on computers, which goodbye zai jian are made with circuit boards. The most sophisticated equipment is used to build electronic circuit boards. Fiberglass, copper, and How are you? Ni hao ma? other components make up a circuit board. Many circuit boards for computers are assembled in countries such as China. thank you xie xie Critical Thinking What other devices besides computers might use You’re circuit boards? welcome Bu ke qi Go to glencoe.com to the book’s OLC to learn more and to fi nd resources from The Discovery Channel.

Unit 3 Thematic Project 285